April 2010

Why You Should Run, Not Walk, and Hire Bethany Rae Cramer Today – #HAPPO

April 30, 2010 · 3 comments

Bethany Cramer

First and foremost, let me say how much of  a pleasure it is to be participating in #HAPPO today – I know there are a lot of blog posts out there for you to read profiling many incredible job candidates. Bethany Rae Cramer stands at the forefront in my mind of someone who is dedicated to doing amazing work. She has a contagious positive attitude and outstanding undergraduate experience that will serve her very well as she graduates in a few weeks and pursues a career in Public Relations.

Bethany is driven, motivated, and extremely open-minded with a passionate desire to be an integral piece of the puzzle with the company she ends up working for. It is my honor to hand over the reigns of my blog to Bethany today – and even with a ridiculous blog name like Life Without Pants, I am dead serious in providing a glowing recommendation for Bethany as she would be an outstanding addition to any company. Reach out and say hello to Bethany via E-Mail or on Twitter today, and if you’d like to talk to me personally about why I recommend Bethany, please feel free to e-mail me directly.

Let’s take a guess at how many 2010 Graduates wrote a #HAPPO post today, 100? 200? Why should my post be the one to catch your eye? Well it’s simple; I am not like any of the other students. Not even close.

First of all, I will be graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, not Public Relations or even Communications. I promise this is a good thing, a very good thing.

Without a PR curriculum, I have been forced to push my educational boundaries and learn about the industry in other ways. In a sense, I created my own “second major” to complete in my free time. The most beneficial step I have taken in this “dual major” is the internships I completed.

Public Relations Internship at Dixon Schwabl Advertising

Discovered the world of “PR 2.0”: Implemented social media campaigns for numerous agency clients, helped gain media coverage, and undoubtedly fell in love with blogging.

Pubic Relations Internship at the National Kidney Foundation

Promoted upcoming Kidney Walks, Golf Tournaments and relatable events.

Helped with event achievement through successfully fundraising gifts and donations for silent auctions and foundation sponsorships.

Interning within a full-service advertising agency provided me with many growth opportunities. Not only do I have hands on PR experience, I have familiarity with market research, event promotion, search engine optimization and social media management.

Account Services Internship at Dixon Schwabl Advertising

Assisted in the crazy and beautiful world of event planning. Helped with vendor and sponsorship assembly for 2009 Finger Lakes Riesling Festival and Unity Hospital’s Health and Beauty Extravaganza.

Interactive Coop at Dixon Schwabl Advertising

Analyzed client websites using Google Analytics, made recommendations and implemented changes for SEO. Managed client Twitter accounts; added personality and built community.

My BS in Business Administration did no go to waste. Having a well-rounded background in the industries of Accounting, Finance, Management and Marketing will aid to my future success as a PR pro.

I have a passion for innovative marketing methods and new media. I constantly study different marketing tools and efforts on my personal blog. Taking initiative with vigorous marketing efforts is something I feel strongly about, and would bring to your company’s PR efforts.

How to get in touch with me

If you are interested in talking more about what I have to offer, or just want to informally meet, please let me know! Contact me via email at bethanyrcramer@gmail.com or send me a DM on Twitter. I am always up for a Skype chat or phone call. I truly look forward to connecting with PR professionals and other soon to be grads. Let’s make good things #HAPPO-n!

The Rising Trend of Minimalist Marketing

April 29, 2010 · 32 comments

Minimalist Marketing

There is a lot of talk about minimalism these days around the web. If this was Twitter, it would undoubtedly be a “Trending Topic”. Folks like Colin Wright, Adam Baker, Everett Bogue, and Tammy Strobel are following in the footsteps of Leo Babauta and others who are passionate about living life without the constraints of your stuff.

When I sat down with Everett, author of “The Art of Being Minimalist” a couple weeks ago – we talked about Minimalism as it transcends all facets of life – and most importantly to me – how it’s effecting the way we do business, the future of Social Media, and the face of marketing as we see it today and where it’s headed.

The minimalist trend isn’t rising, it’s here, it’s everywhere around us. We’re living in a society that ultimately wants less. We’re condensing our wants to meet our needs – and in a world in which we are absolutely inundated and bombarded with information – we value simple and effective over flash and glamour.

Don’t believe me? Here are a few examples

Look at the IPhone (if you read my post earlier this week you know I don’t have one, but go with me here). The IPhone has replaced the need to carry around a huge purse or briefcase with all of your “needs”. No more address book, no camera, no calculator, no books. The IPhone has consolidated all of that into an extremely effective all-in-one package. Colin Wright wrote a great piece about 19 things you can replace with your IPhone – give it a read and get rid of some of your stuff.

Now let’s stop at the grocery store. I was in the store the other day buying some shampoo and something obvious was staring back at me – gone are the days of the bright pink bottles with crazy typography that scream “look at me”. Now we’re seeing rows upon rows of simple, clean, white bottles with easy to read fonts and clear “messages” about what that product will do for me. Calls to action are clearer, messages are much less fuzzy, and everyone, even Vidal Sasoon, is buying into the minimalist approach.

Another example…Take a look at the design of your favorite websites. Remember the Geocities sites from back in the day? I’m talking flashing glitter backgrounds, midi file blasting as soon as the site loads, animated gif’s. Yeah, you remember the hideous browsing days of old. More recently we all fell in love with Flash because, well, it looks cool, right? Now, substance is priority number one. Design no longer (or at least shouldn’t) overwhelm the site’s content, but should instead compliment it and support the needs of the reader with, again, clear definitive calls to action and simplicity.

OK, last thought on the big elephant sitting in the corner of the room. Social Media. Think about where we’ve come from over the past 5-6 years. Myspace was huge – everyone was there – then they added a ton of bells and whistles, everyone’s profiles started looking like those 90′s Geocities sites I referenced above, and what came along? Facebook. Facebook started as being exclusive only to college students – that quickly changed and before too long my Mom was poking me every other day (and then the world ended). What happened next? Twitter. Twitter is minimalist Social Media to a tee – so much so that it limits the amount you can say. What’s next? I’m not sure, but the trend is clear – When one thing becomes “too much”, a new more simplified platform steps forward, it’s a cycle we’ve seen time and time again.

Will the trend continue?

Minimalist marketing transcends both online and offline – it’s everywhere around us, and it’s here to stay – more than likely you’ve already bought into it in some way yourself.

What do you see trending in marketing and advertising both on and offline? What’s so appealing about the minimalist approach? Any thoughts about what the future has in store?

(Image c/0 askie)

The Last Person Alive Without an IPhone (The Future of Social & Mobile Marketing)

April 26, 2010 · 103 comments

IPhone and Moleskine on desk

I am probably the last person alive without an IPhone.

Gasp. I know. For those of you who don’t make it past that first sentence, feel free to drop down to the comments and tell me to “get an IPhone” – I hear it all the time. Every time I pull out my Blackberry at a local networking event, the record skips and I get the stink-eye from half the room. I know I’m behind the curve here. Shoot me.

Then there’s this new-fangled FourSquare thing. Back in my day this was an awesome game you played at Recess…I know what it is, I know what the benefits can potentially be for companies out there looking to target potential customers in new and exciting ways, but for some reason I’ve never climbed on board, for some reason the idea of telling everyone that I’ve checked in to the Schaumburg, Illinois Starbucks or that I’m the mayor of Ned’s Pancake house in Roselle just doesn’t have the allure that it does for many of you.

Are we becoming too plugged in?

I think for me – someone who is knee deep in Social Media – leading workshops for businesses and NPO’s – working with clients from literally all over the world, preaching that they need to embrace Social Media into their marketing mix (which I 100% believe has value for any business across the board) - there’s still some hesitation. There’s still something in the back of my mind that says, “Holy crap! We are becoming WAY too reliant on this stuff”.

Online marketing is the future of the way we do business – Social Media is not a fad – by now most of us have established that – we’re living in a fully interactive Web 2.0 world – it’s how we find clients, make friends, and build relationships. But I look at someone like my fiance, someone who can comfortably go a week without even touching her laptop – and I say, “maybe we’re going overboard with the spotlight we’re putting on the Internet” (of course after considering this I proceed to send out five more Tweets, refresh my Gmail three times, and click “ignore” to my Mom’s 32nd request for me to join her Farmville).

Last October I attended the MarketingProfs Digital Marketing Mixer here in Chicago – part of this was a panel discussion in which Peter Shankman and others talked about the future of Social Media. Their take was that we’re quickly moving toward a fully integrated Social platform – that in the future, there won’t be Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, & LinkedIn – everything will be ONE (we’re already seeing more and more integration of these platforms). The consensus was that in the not-too-distant future, we’ll be able to know where anyone and everyone is at any given moment – that businesses will have a censor as you cross the threshold that will AUTOMATICALLY check you in (sorry to those of you who are checking in to that bad-ass club downtown while sitting at home in your PJs…cheaters).

I don’t want my mom to know when I check in to the shower

It’s exciting, don’t get me wrong – but more than exciting I think it’s somewhat terrifying. Maybe I’m just incredibly old fashioned here, but there’s still something to be said for a certain level of privacy. I know you’re giving a lot of that up simply by being present online, but having everyone know where I am is like a bad episode of Seinfeld. That person that I was hoping to never see again can do the “pop in” at the local diner and I know it won’t be a coincidence because he can watch my every move on Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn/FourSquare/Skype/Myspace/NING/etc.

Not to mention, I like to get AWAY from the online world from time to time – it’s where I work, it’s where I spend a lot of free time, but I don’t ever want it to be where I live. By having a phone that sucks at browsing the web, that doesn’t have any cool Apps, I’m forced into that disconnect when I’m not at home, and I don’t know, I’m pretty OK with that.

We’re all in agreement that Social Media is a valuable tool – one of many – and certinley not “THE answer”. We all preach that it’s extremely important to take things offline and that face to face interaction is still paramount. But, my question to you is, do you actually believe that and put it into practice? Do you see us getting away more and more from the old school? Will coffee shops eventually be obsolete once we’re all meeting via Skype?

What does the future look like in that crystal ball of yours?

What does the future hold of Social Media and the way we do business? Where will Mobile Marketing go next? Why does this old-school Crackberry user need to make the jump to an Iphone? Will we ever see a “back to basics” approach, or do I just need to shut my mouth and buy into the future? (Where are the hover cars and men in silver suits already?)

Would love to hear your thoughts and comments on the future (as you see it) below…

Friday Quick Hits: Barely Coming Up For Air (But A Lot of Great Stuff to Read)

April 23, 2010 · 16 comments

Friday Quick Hits

Hello and Happy Friday to everyone out there. Life is pretty much insanity right now in my neck of the woods, so Friday Quick Hits is a little bit condensed this week – that being said, here are some great reads and finds from the week that should keep you busy while you drink your morning coffee or slack off at work today. Enjoy!

Danny Brown has been MIA for a bit working through some health issues – but he’s getting back to business and it’s great to see him back in the blogging/Social Media neck of the woods. If you’re not already reading his blog or associating with him in some way – today is a great day to stop by his casa and say hello!

Colin Wright has released his latest (and greatest) e-book, “Networking Awesomely” – and it’s something that you’d be doing yourself  a disservice by passing it up. I’m looking forward to really diving in and reading this on the plane when I travel in a couple weeks – at $20, this is an absolute steal and something you’d be crazy to miss.

Take a Few Eggs Out of the Basket (Or Why You May Not Need What You Think You Need)

April 20, 2010 · 28 comments

All your eggs in one basket

I used to wake up in the morning and the first thing I did was turn on the TV to watch Saved by the Bell. Sure, it might have been the Teen Line episode I’d seen 573…no, 574 times before – but it was part of my routine and a pretty damn good one if you ask me.

Up until recently, I’d wake up in the morning and, still tune the TV to Saved by the Bell, but I’d also grab my laptop and make my morning rounds of checking Twitter, Gmail, replying to blog comments, reading through my Google Reader..in short, going through information overload before sunrise. Farr too much consumption before coffee and a shower.

After a while, and today, I’m starting to miss the old way of doing things, waking up slowly and watching Zack date that girl he met on the Teen Line only to find out she was in a wheelchair, to which Zack proceeds to make a total ass of himself, but of course, by the end credits he totally makes up for it and gets the girl (Scott Bishop – bonus points if you can give me the name of the ‘wheelchair girl’)

In short, I’ve become too dependent on my online life. Oh…ehem, “In case you can’t see my name-tag, hello everyone, my name is Matt Cheuvront and I’m a webaholic…”

“Hi, Matt”…

I remember two years ago when being online meant checking out my Facebook wall and saying Happy Birthday to people I never talked to otherwise (come on, you did it too). Now, it’s my life – I sit in front of my computer from sun up to way after sundown either working, writing, or wasting time. Maybe you’re the same way – and on behalf of all of us, I’ve got to say that this is no way to live…

If the first step is to admit you have a problem, the next one is to do something about it.

Let me preface by saying that while I’ve spent a ton of time online over the past year and a half – it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my entire life. I’ve gone from working in an agency, to working outside an agency, to starting my own business, met amazing people along the way, have some amazing things in the work for the short and long term future, and right now I am living a life I would have never dreamed for myself (in a very good way).

But, through it all, I’ve been telling myself that I *need* this stuff a hell of a lot more than I actually do. I’ve been convincing myself that I MUST stay very engaged and very active in the online world to feel fulfilled and be successful professionally. In short, that simply isn’t the case.

I’ve put too many eggs in one basket – and I’m sure all of you can attest to doing this many times throughout your own life. Investing too much time into one channel, into one person, into one idea, to the point where your return on “investment” just isn’t there.

So it’s time for me to take a step back – I spoke yesterday on the importance of removing some of the “stuff” in your life and this is doing just that – no, I’m not going anywhere, no I’m not signing off from blogging or tweeting or anything like that. This isn’t some sappy sign-off. I’m still here, I’m just dramatically refocusing on what’s MOST important and I am going to limit the talking and instead focus (much) more on the doing (and there’s a lot of doing to be done).

Are you taking away as much as you’re putting in?

So my plea to you in this rant that’s gone from Saved by the Bell to webaholics anonymous meetings it to take a look at what you’re doing and consider the return on investment you have with the channels you’re invested in. Do your clients find you on these channels? Are you finding opportunities by being as engaged as you are? Are you listening and learning or just talking for the sake of contributing to the noise?

Here’s what you do. Take a step back, lighten up, spend less time on “X” channel and see what happens. Maybe you’ll miss it, both personally and professionally - maybe you DO actually need it. Then again, maybe you don’t. Maybe you won’t miss it one bit. But you’ll never know until you step out of the bubble. And the beauty part? It’ll still be around if and when you decide to jump back in.

Maybe Twitter isn’t for you. Maybe it doesn’t make sense to blog as much as you do. Maybe you should be having more face to face time and less “online” interaction – or maybe you’re spending way too much time on lunch dates and need to focus on doing better work. Whatever the case may be, don’t worry about doing something because everyone else is, or because that’s the expectation that’s been forced upon you. Nothing is forced, nothing is a requirement – you can stop and refocus right now.

Take a few eggs out of the basket and put them back into your pocket – be more selective about where you choose to invest your time. Make sure you’re REALLY taking something away from the time and effort you put in…

(Thanks to Rich, Sarah, Cali, Sam, Veronica and a few others for indirectly helping me articulate these thoughts in writing through our recent conversations. Cheers guys!)

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